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six-eyed-samurai · 8 days

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You can read this as a part II to this fic, or simply standalone. Reader is female and has already started a family with Giyuu.

Tagging: @flogflower otherwise this wouldn't have happened

Tomioka Giyuu was known for being a very silent wallflower, a mysterious man whom no one knew much about, not even the rest of the Hashira, as shown by how they never knew he had a wife until very recently. Usually that worked in his favour, as he hadn’t liked to be hounded by busybodies for his marriage to you or the birth of your first child Koji, but sometimes there really were moments where he wished he was as loud as Rengoku or open about his opinions as Shinazugawa because god damn if he wasn’t fed up with all the people hitting on you.

THE FIRST TIME:

He finally found the time to secretly surprise you by taking you and Koji to that restaurant you were always raving about. You’d always wanted to have a meal with him there and to this day he was still very sorry he never had the time to go. It would be the first time you all would be out as a family and understandably you were very excited (underneath Giyuu’s mask of stone he was as giggly as baby Koji at 3 a.m. in the morning). Understandably Giyuu spent a lot of time planning and perfecting this outing from reserving a table to predicting exactly how much he’d have to spend on dessert (your pregnancy no longer excused your crazy cravings, but Giyuu was long used to it…perhaps not his wallet though).

Understandably Giyuu was rehashing the 101 ways to get rid of the patron flirting next to you. It looked like the first way, aka staring at him intensely in the most uncomfortable way, was not working as well as he hoped.

The audacity! Giyuu couldn’t even savor his salmon daikon now, not when he was fuming so quietly as he was forced to watch the brunet drop hint after hint of his interest in you. When he. Was. Right. There.

The sheer audacity!

…he wasn’t sitting that far from you, was he? Maybe the man assumed you both were strangers? Giyuu slouched in his seat, as unaware of how obviously he was sulking as the man shamelessly hitting on you of your marital status. Koji turned his head up in surprise at his father’s sudden stop at tilting the milk bottle into his mouth, babbling sadly.

Did he not see the ring or something? Giyuu wondered if he should’ve bought something flashier like Uzui had said some time ago. You were barely offering the man a fraction of your attention but even Total Concentration Breathing couldn’t accelerate his heart as much as it did now.

Go away, Giyuu chanted in his head, go away.

“Mamamammamamamamamamamaamam!” Koji suddenly squealed, squirming around in Giyuu’s hold, reaching out for his mother. You turn immediately, cooing at your precious boy. At other times Giyuu would be put out by how his son was choosing you over him, but today he couldn’t stop his mouth from twitching into a smirk when he watched the man’s priceless expression as he handed over Koji to you.

“Pass me the bottle, Yuu.” You cuddle your baby closer, oblivious to the staring match Giyuu was winning between the man and him over your bent head. “Aw, don’t fuss, don’t fuss, Daddy sucks at feeding you, doesn’t he?”

“Hey!” Giyuu’s eyes widened, speechless. You giggle and press a quick kiss to his crumb-stained cheek (Giyuu was rarely one to gloat but he couldn’t resist when he flashed a triumphant smile to the man uncomfortably making some excuse to get up and leave.

“Here, hold him, I need to clean up your face.” Giyuu happily took back Koji and let you wipe at his face, reveling in the tenderness of your gaze. “I swear, Giyuu, even Koji doesn’t make such a mess - it’s like I’ve got two babies to take care of.”

“I thought you liked taking care of me!”

“I do!” You roll your eyes at his indignant expression.

“Mmmm!” Koji cooed and the corner of Giyuu’s lip twitched as he looked down. Saved by his baby to protect his other baby - oh well, better than the plan of extreme torture Giyuu had been dreaming of when that tiny spark of jealousy ignited.

THE SECOND TIME:

He thought that jealous, angry spark was smothered and put out after a week or so went by with nothing else like that happening, but hell was he wrong and like the flames of hell the spark was bursting into.

How the hell did so many people not realize you’re married to him, for goodness’ sake? He wondered. For that matter why did this always happen the moment you handed Koji to him for even just a moment?

Giyuu trailed around you like a lost puppy, pathetically trying to remind you of his existence while you walked around town with your recently reunited childhood friend. After the initial introductions and usual hyped excitement at seeing a cute baby you and Aya had fallen to catching up on what the both of you had been doing for the past years and recounting silly memories. You were so delighted at meeting her again Giyuu had offered to take Koji from you and leave for privacy.

He was content with the bonding time he had spent with Koji, of course, but it was rather spoiled when he returned after the tuckered out child finally curled against him to take a quick nap to find the topic of conversation had turned to one of romance and relationships.

“Your fiance sounds like an amazing man! I’m so happy for you - you better keep your promise of making me your maid of honor!” Out of habit you slipped your hand into Giyuu’s when he sat down on the bench next to you.

Aya giggled, as lovestruck as Giyuu at the moment. “Of course I will! But eh, (y/n)-chan, haven’t you gotten married yet?”

You didn’t notice the slow turning of Giyuu’s head in her direction with a disbelieving face, only to beam and reply. “I am! He’s -”

“If you want I know someone, he matches your personality very well! He’s a close friend of my fiance actually. I mention you a lot to him, to be honest, and he said you sound like a lovely person. If you’re okay with it I can help set you both up!”

“Can you tell Mama I’m sorry for me, baby?” Giyuu sighed, gently nudging Koji away from the edge of the futon. He cocked his chubby head to one side, blinking, then flopped over to wriggle his way closer to Giyuu. “She’s not talking to me but she won’t ignore you.”

“Are you stupid?” Giyuu suddenly blurted out, unable to control himself anymore. “I’m her husband…”

***

Giyuu was dying (from the lack of cuddles). Ever since his childish outburst (a justified defense of himself) that had severely taken Aya aback and caused you to give him the cold shoulder for the rest of the day. He had been banished (sent off to go sleep in the living room) and starved (denied your delicious cooking and made to go find cold soba from a nearby food stall). At least he had one ally left (Koji had no idea what was going on; Giyuu had simply kidnapped him from his cot for company).

“Bwa.”

“Mmm. I’ve already apologized about ten times though. I still can’t believe Aya somehow thought I was just a friend following her though.” It was nice to pretend Koji could actually understand him, though he’d never admit it. “Hey, hey, don’t drool there.”

“Mmph! Bweeeh!”

“Maybe I’ll go buy her flowers?”

“Sssss!”

“Are you talking to the baby, Tomioka?”

Giyuu sat up straight and whipped around fast enough to crack his neck. You stood by the hallway with your arms crossed and lips pursed. Koji giggled.

“…no.” Giyuu frowned. “Don’t call me Tomioka.”

“It’s your name isn’t it?”

“Not for you.” He looked on the verge of tears. This man really knew how to tug on your heartstrings; you averted your gaze. “It’s Giyuu. Or Yuu. Anything but that. Are you that mad at me?”

“You didn’t have to be so rude, you know.” You crossed the room and sat down in front of him, helping Koji roll over to you. “I didn’t know she didn’t know we were married and that’s is kinda silly of Aya not to notice, but that’s not really a reason to be so insulting.”

“I’m sorry.” Giyuu lowered his head. “…am I not good enough to be your husband?”

“What?!” Your jaw fell open. “Why would you say such a thing? You’re the best thing this world’s ever given me! I love you so much I’d actually choke on air if you’re not there! I’d kill myself if you left me! How can you even say such a thing?”

“Not like that! I’m just -” Giyuu shrugged miserably. “Why doesn’t anybody see that? Is it because I don’t show affection to you a lot? You could do a lot better, everyone seems to think.”

“Giyuu. You’re going to look at me and have what I said drilled into your head.” Well, at least you weren’t calling him by his surname anymore. “When we started going out I already knew what I was getting with you. So what if you don’t feel comfortable kissing and hugging and holding hands out in public? I don’t know any other guy who’d buy me bouquets for no reason, try to cook me my favorite meal when I’m sick, make sure I don’t overwork myself during training. Whether people think I could do a lot better or not is their problem. I’m already doing the best there is, so don’t ever say that to me, Yuu.”

Giyuu definitely was not crying.

“I’m serious, Giyuu. If you do you’ll be sleeping out here for a week.”

“Bwa!”

“And this time I won’t be letting you bundle off our baby for yourself either.” The closeness of how much you were leaning into him and the way you were smiling though said otherwise. Giyuu chuckled, pushing away your hair from your face and pulling Koji onto his lap.

“Can I go back to the bedroom then?”

THE THIRD TIME:

Giyuu was reasonably confident if someone were to repeat this mistake he’d be able to handle like a mature, grown man and not throw another childish remark around.

The universe didn’t seem to think so.

Shinobu had advised you to not go on any missions for the time being, reasons being you should be recovering after Koji’s birth. Giyuu and you were more than happy about that, both having agreed at the start that you didn’t want any babysitters. So for now you were saddled with minor jobs like scouting out an area or mostly, giving extra training to the lower-ranked slayers.

Giyuu was fortunately free that day, so he had decided to go stick around and if nothing else enjoy watching you relentlessly push the slayers into doing better. Somewhere along the way, however, Koji had somehow dropped his beloved stuffed rabbit and to prevent the inevitable temper tantrum and crying fit Giyuu wasted an hour looking everywhere for it.

Finally successful in finding the worn toy and putting Koji to sleep, Giyuu headed off to go find your training grounds.

“(y/n)-sensei is so pretty, isn’t she?”

“She doesn’t look married too.”

“Bet she’ll say yes if I ask her out!”

“You wish! Someone like you, stand a chance with her? Dream on! I’m far better than you, she’d say yes to me for sure!”

“Hah, wanna bet? You sure have an ego the size of Japan to think that.”

Giyuu stopped in his tracks with a scandalized expression on his usually stoic face.

The slayers you had been training were clearly on break. The two he had accidentally eavesdropped on were older than the rest, perhaps around the same age as him and clearly a whole lot cockier. You were too distracted answering some questions from others and calling out encouragement to a group of sparring slayers to hear them…but he did.

He walked in and everyone fell silent.

“Isn’t that the Water Pillar? He looks so scary!”

“What’s he doing here? I’m not going to be able to do well with a Hashira breathing down my neck!”

“Woah, whose baby is that? It looks so much like (y/n)-sensei!”

“Koji missed you,” Giyuu said abruptly, stopping in front of you and ignoring the circulating whispers, handing over your child. You quietly laugh - since Koji was born Giyuu started using him to express his feelings.

“Are you sure it was him or you - mmmph!”

Giyuu took a particular relish in seeing the looks of shock, embarrassment and horror on the two slayers as he yanked you into a heart-stopping kiss and flashed the hand with his ring on it at them.

“You’re done training for the day. All of you are dismissed.” He grabbed your hand, gestured listlessly at the others, and dragged you away firmly.

He made a special point to invite the two slayers to the Water Estate a couple of months later. They were very pleased indeed to be trained by the Water Hashira himself per personal request! Honorary Tsugoku!

“Giyuu!!!”

***

“Why are you both so weak? You move so slowly any demon would eat you before you even draw your sword. Have you not been listening to my wife’s training? If you aren’t, don’t ever waste her time ever again. Even my son could do better than you both.”

There really was something very humiliating about being compared to the cooing, drooling baby pushing around his toys in the corner. Tomioka must really hate them to be speaking so much…

“Well? Get on with it!”

#sanzuyaps #giyuu x reader #giyuu x y/n #giyuu x you #giyuu tomioka x reader #giyuu tomioka x y/n #kny x reader #giyuu x reader fluff #giyuu x reader jealous

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sea-owl · 2 months

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Ok but I wanna talk about Portia in that trailer and the absolute pride in her voice when she's taking to Penelope.

I personally love Portia's character and how she's been a foil to Violet in that she's a loving mother, but she's also a realist about the society they live in. She's a tough love, no nonsense type of mother. She's making sure everyone survives as a top priority, if she has to be mean to get them there than so be it.

She's been at odds with Penelope the last two seasons mainly because of their different views. Portia is a realist, while Penelope still has dreams like most 17-18 year olds. Portia, in her own way, has been trying to bring Penelope back to reality.

An example of this to me is the scene where Portia finds out Penelope has been writing to Colin. The first thing she says "I declare Penelope," in a softer tone and when Penelope declares Colin her friend that tone becomes more strict. She tells Penelope, "Colin Bridgerton is no more your friend than I am the next Catherine the Great." Is it mean? Yup. But looking at it through Portia's eyes there's some truth to it. Their society doesn't allow friendships between single men and women. Colin and Penelope writing to one another without being engaged or even a proper courtship was actually very inappropriate. Portia probably does understand that there really isn't anything inappropriate in those letters and they are actually friends but she also knows no one else would see it that way. If she wanted she would have been well within her rights to go to Anthony about it and raise a fuss. She needs Penelope to see this too.

Now come season 3 in Portia's pov Penelope is finally taking the marriage mart seriously. She's got herself a suitor who is a titled lord, and Portia is proud of her. No more silly little fantasies of love. Meanwhile Penelope is probably weirded out with some other mixed feelings by this because this isn't what she is used to from her mother.

Makes me excited to see where their relationship goes. Because honestly, Penelope probably inherited the most from her mother, but she's in denial about it. It mostly comes out in Lady Whistledown, but that sharp wit and scheming mind is Portia. Penelope will actually fall into Portia's line of thinking when she's backed into a corner. When she saved both Colin and Eloise, she knew they would be hurt, and she's sorry about that, but she also knows they'll be safe. That is Portia's school of thought 101.

I've also been wanting to see how they approach the big heart to heart between the two of them. I want them to get into a screaming match that breaks down into them sincerely talking to one another. Penelope's confidence is supposed to get a boost this season, and we know she's not afraid to subtley barb at her mother. I hope they have Penelope confront Portia at some point, forcing everything out in the open.

#bridgerton #penelope featherington #portia featherington #mother daughter relationship #like mother like daughter #bridgerton season 3

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moonah-rose · 5 months

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According to the Button House Archives, Robin's biggest regret - after thousands of years - was falling asleep while guarding the tribe and causing a lot of his family to be eaten. Presumably that's the same time he saw his mother and cousin get eaten by wolves.

I imagine that plays a lot into why he hasn't moved on. That's a fuck ton of guilt to carry around. But also, he keeps finding new families (both human and animal) throughout the centuries, and he's incredibly loyal and protective of all of them. If his mouse family are having babies then he'll spend days watching over them. If Kitty is being hassled by plague ghosts he'll jump in to protect her. If Julian is afraid of the dark then he'll huddle with him all night. If Mary doesn't wish to share her traumatic death he'll also keep it private for 300 years. If the house is being burgled he'll use the twilight bark from 101 Dalmations to call for help. If Mike is about to be struck by lightning he'll take that strike, again, to save his friend's husband who can't even see him. If a twelve year old girl from a faraway land is unhappy with her arranged marriage he'll be her guardian angel, even if she can't see him, just so she isn't alone.

And I think that's why, subconsciously, he doesn't really wish to move on. He wants to, sure, he's been trapped for so long and wants to see what's next, but he also feels the need to stay because he knows how it feels to be alone, to lose his mind from boredom and isolation, and doesn't want to risk any of the others being the last like he was. The moon is Robin's constant but Robin is the constant for every ghost who has existed on those grounds. He won't ever fail his "tribe" again.

#bbc ghosts #robin the caveman #robin ghosts #he good boy #button house archives #ghosts meta

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feathers-little-nest · 5 months

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Btw I was making a list of my favorite moments while reading Thousand Autumns. So. Here it is (under the cut bc spoilers)

- Yu Shengyan as a silly poet

- Yan Wushi threatening Shen Qiao with lip cup (ch 24) AND THEN SHEN QIAO FEEDING HIM THAY WAY IN CH 57

- Bian Yanmei vs Huo Xijing in a tea shop (ch 27)

- Yan Wushi introduces unconscious Shen Qiao to Bian Yanmei (ch 29)

- Yan Wushi: this is my husband, Shen Qiao, Shen Qiao: sect leader Yan, you need to stop call that lowly one your husband. we met yesterday

- chapter 34. just. chapter 34 (Zhan Ziqian is my second fav now)

- chapter 35, Yan Wushi pulling "was your name on it???" as an argument for stealing

- chapter 44, Yan Wushi asking Shen Qiao if they could be friemds

- chapter 46, abbot saying that Shen Qiao finally lost his mind

- chapter 49, Ruan Hailou suicide speech (+thinking about their next incarnations ok)

- chapter 50, Shen Qiao's epic entrance

- chapter 55, Dou Yanshan laughing his ass off bc Shen Qiao put “Yan Wushi” and “greater good” in one sentence

- chapter 55, Guang Lingsan pulling “u manwhore we're not gay, we won't do anything for u” on Shen Qiao

- chapter 55, Guang Lingsan has a sword hidden in his cither!! he tossed a cither and took the sword from inside of it!!! how cool is that!!!!

- chapter 55, Dou Yanshan's “Sayonara weeboos!”. yes chapter 55 IS a work of art

- chapter 58, Yu Ai finally understanding that he lost Shen Qiao forever and there's no going back, saying “Good, good, good...”

- chapter 67, Yan Wushi asked about his traveling goal responds “I'm following you [Shen Qiao]" CUTE

- chapter 70, Yan Wushi in drag refusing to leave the restaurant without Shen Qiao

- chapter 75, Yan Wushi making dinner for Shen Qiao, this is so cute, I fucking can't, the whole chapter is so wholesome, I love it

- chapters 79-80, Shen Qiao crying because Yan Wushi decided to save him and trying to run after him,

- chapter 84, Murong Qin saying “If your dao had any use whatsoever, why hasn’t that wonderful man you love so much shown himself yet?” to Shen Qiao and Shen Qiao not denying anything,

- and generally the fight with Murong Qin, it's so beautifully described...

- chapter 84, describing Yan Ying as “he was an expert at risking his life on the battlefield” (and generally Yan Ying I love that man gender neutral, he wants to die for someone SO BADLY)

- chapter 85, Yan Shou scared as fuck

- chapter 85, Shen Qiao vs Chen Gong & Baoyun would look AMAZING in animation

- chapter 86, Shen Qiao saying he's Shan Qiaozi... giving Finrod vibes. Sweetheart, you're not best in disguises are you,

- chapter 90, Yan Wushi's internal monologue about Shen Qiao

- chapter 94, Yan Wushi and Shen Qiao's spoon fight,

- chapter 94, Shen Qiao finally loosing it,

- chapter 97, “This venerable one's weakness now is you!”... what a way to confess...

- chapter 101, Gu Hengbo has major lesbian vibes oh my god

- chapter 102, OH MY GOD YU SHENGYAN IS BACK

- chapter 103, Yuan Xiuxiu standing on a flag, this is kinda cool and girlboss

- chapter 103, Yuan Xiuxiu dominated by ocean-like power of Shen Qiao

- chapter 106, Yan Wushi literally saying that Shen Qiao isn't like the other girls

- chapter 107, Yan Wushi confessing his love, saying that his heart is Shen Qiao's, talking about marriage and right after that being like "taki żarcik kosmonaucik" yeah sure thing bro

- chapter 110, “grandmasters were not cabbage” yeah can't argue with that

- chapter 110, Bian Yanmei genderfuckery and absolutely loving to dress and act like a woman, what a legend

- chapter 115, Yuan Ying... poor baby... how did they not notice that you were gone for a week...

- chapter 117, Yan Wushi fighting basically all the most powerful people in the world for Shen Qiao dkddskkd

- chapter 118, Shen Qiao waiting for the most dramatic moment to enter the elders' meeting lol + Bian Yanmei living for the applause

- chapter 120, Yu Ai's death, that was so damn sad how am I supposed to not cry??

- chapter 121, Shen Qiao and Bian Yanmei as besties so cute, exactly what I needed after that Yu Ai trauma

- aaand we're back with trama, this time it's Tan Yuanchun. Poor Shen Qiao, took him long enough to understand that he lives in an imperfect world, convoluted in thousands small matters that pile up to hatreage and cruelty

- chapter 122, Shen Qiao's “I know, but if I can’t see him, how can I be at peace?” T^T

- it might be one of my fav chapters, so causally wholesome

- chapter 123, how differently Shen Qiao treats Yan Wushi and Bai Rong. Yan Wushi is in the end the only person who can make Shen Qiao so explicitly emotional

- chapter 124, A SMALL DEAR A-QIAO THIS IS

NOT A DRILL IT'S A SMALL DEAR A-QIAO!!

- Yan Wushi saying "Thank you for returning my badness with kindness", my heart is melting

- chapter 126, Shen Qiao gambling. and unknowingly cheating. it is just. too percect. I love this novel

- this is just autism x ADHD and I'm living for this

- god their declaration of love being “thank you for returning my evilness with kindness” and “I would cry only if you died, not anyone else”

#thousand autumns #qian qiu #yan wushi #shen qiao

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bluemoon1331 · 14 days

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Hello, hello! Welcome to my main blog, where the DCA fascination consumes! My alt blog is @sharetheartman, go check it out if you wanna see the amazing art this community has to offer! Below is a list of my AUs that run wild both here and in my head, lmao. I hope you find something you enjoy!

Finished Works:

One Lost Star- You are a bit of a hermit, living solo off the land since the death of your grandfather. Until you draw certain godly attention, that is.

Scarlet Masquerade- The sole heir to your kingdom, you find yourself caught in the tangled web of the automaton emperor's plans. However, things are about to go from bad to worse when you catch the interest of the deadly automaton assassin sent to end you.

Dancing In Orbit- The lunar vampire is the last of his kind, a deadly plague on the Earth that refuses to yield despite the uncountable years that have passed since the last of his kin and kind died off. You, running from your intertwined past, seek to finally put an end to that, with some help from friends old and new.

One-shots:

Party Crashing 101- A piece inspired by the mafia episode from Helluva Boss. Badass, protective reader ftw XD

Blooming In Adversity- You and the princesses were great friends in your youth, until you had to move away. Years later, you return, your friendship blooming anew. However, dark plots turn in the background, and it may be up to just you to save them.

Phantom Tide- You are a siren, crushed under betrayal. Sun and Moon are brothers recovering from the throes of grief. Perhaps you may be just what each other need.

WIPs:

Cosmic Journeys- Trapped in the depths of depression, you seek an unfortunate out. The nearby land owner won't let that happen, though. Thus begins a journey of self-worth and finding hope in a world of madness and compassion, monsters, saints, and everything in between.

Burning Stars- You run your farm alone on a world teeming with aliens and humans, content with your animal family and helpful community, even if you keep the latter at arm's lengths. Until your peace is interrupted by a certain intergalactic bounty hunter, anyway.

Rosewood's Serenade- The eldest child of your kingdom, you have trained since birth to be all your home needs and more, intent to take the throne when the time comes, marriage or no. However, your parents harbor a secret, a deal struck when disaster threatened to destroy all they hold dear, and you soon find yourself meeting a most intriguing being...

Come and Go- A Megamind-inspired AU with Sun as Metroman, Moon as Megamind, and Eclipse as Titan, while you are a delivery driver caught in the middle.

Never Play Cat and Mouse With Vampires- Living alone is a necessity, your skills in hunting, magic, and evasion giving you all you need for contentment, or so you tell yourself. In your newest home you, unfortunately, find that your capabilities only draw the infatuation of three local creatures that are intent to finally capture you and make you theirs. Annoyingly, they may just get that chance.

Demonic- The saying of Hell is empty for all the demons are here has never been more apt. Caught smack dab in the middle of the infamous Hell-Day event, you come out with an unexpected passenger woven into your soul. Now, you secretly fight to preserve the fragile balance between mortals and the demons trapped on Earth, all while contending with the fact your new neighbors are the very ones responsible for sealing the gates, the infamous Celestial Graces. They also happen to be the mortal enemies of the one currently living in you. Fun times all around, especially with devil himself on your heels, seeking to reclaim what he lost.

Unusual- An oceanographer, there is no place you'd rather be than scouring the depths of the seven seas, studying its plant life and creatures, in particular the infamous mers, beings most of your co-workers are quite wary of. They don't seem to mind you too much, though, a fact you try not to put stock in until an encounter on the beach near your house flips your entire world upside down. Strings of fate and a battle to rule the oceans with you as the key? Ridiculous. Right?

Unnamed AUs floating around:

Lich King AU- With the three realms in shambles, cut off from each other, it is up to the most powerful warriors of Earth to fend off the lich king and his Elite army, including his own brothers. You, whom offers them a secret safe haven and relaxation when they need it, cannot deny your love for Sun and Moon, nor they you, but with Eclipse hounding for any weakness he can use against his kin, is the danger really worth it? You find the answer may be coming sooner than you would like when the two go missing after a fight.

Spirited Away AU- You have moved to a more remote region in hopes of forgetting a troubled family life. Content to spend your time among the lush jungles of the land, you inadvertently stumble upon an obviously long-forgotten temple. Curiosity eats at you, and you cannot help get closer, initially unaware of the myriad of eyes watching you, until you spot...an icy blue leopard? It's a good thing you helped those snakes and that spider on your way here.

Harem AU- You are a villainess, a job you quite revel in, bringing chaos to the masses alongside the clan of vampire brothers you have wrapped around your pretty, deadly little fingers. The centuries come and go with you weaving stories of heroes and villains at your leisure, spending the rest doting and being doted on by your suitors. Unfortunately, things take a turn when someone invades your world, offering a weapon to your latest hero that may actually be a problem for you. Just where in the hell are your fellow Storytellers? What is happening?

Mature Works (Minors Not Recommended):

Familiar Constellations- The vampires get a bit quirky about you, especially when you egg them on. Mature. Very, very mature. Good gods they are rough, but you love it. After all, you can get a bit rough with them, too.

Along the Akesh- Blessed with visions since your youth, you were taken and raised by the temple, becoming one of the highest-ranked priests, second to only the grand heijut himself. With an awe-inspiring festival and ritual that happens only once every five centuries under way, you are eager to meet the moon god, one of the many you have had the pleasure of conversing with throughout your prayers and oracles, in person. Things take an unexpected turn, however, when the temple must pay recompense for an accidental screw up with a gift left by an old friend. You are about to learn just how intrigued you and the moon god truly are with each other.

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mikhailwrites · 5 months

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Call of Duty Fanfic Master Post

Ongoing fics

Serpent's Coil: Modern Warfare III Reimagined - AO3 MWIII was dogshit; I'm writing my own. This is heavily influenced by the OG Trilogy, and it's very heavy with multiple character deaths. There's a Soap/Ghost established relationship, but the story is not centered around it. Please read at your own discretion.

Waiting for Connection - AO3 So-called Nerd AU. Ghost had retired several years ago due to the injury. Discovering himself to be a huge nerd, he picks up Arma 3, a mil-sim videogame, where he vastly out-skills pretty much everyone. Until, one day, the matchmaking throws him in a party with a bloke who's way too good not to be a pro. Comfort fic to help me survive Serpent's Coil.

Soaring Ever Higher - AO3 Cross-over between CoD and Ace Combat 7. John "Trigger" MacTavish is a fighter pilot, and a damn good one. During one mission, he's paired with Ghost of the infamous TF141. Ghost is to paint the target for Trigger from the ground. It doesn't go as smooth as it should, and Trigger ends up saving Ghost's life. Back on the base, Ghost finds out that Trigger is not quite what he expected him to be...

Finished Multichapters

The Silence in Between - AO3 Simon needs to lay low for a few weeks, so Price stashes him away in a cottage in Scottish Highlands. Pretty soon, Ghost finds out the cottage belongs to Soap. He also finds out Soap's old diary. This is introspective, getting together fic with heavier themes.

Five Stages - AO3 Five-chapter smutty fic following Ghost's and Soap's relationship from "occasionally helping each other out" to a marriage proposal.

Until the Nightfall - AO3 The tag "101 Ways To Get Almost Killed" just about sums it up. Ghost is falling for Soap, but is conflicted because of their job and his own past. The story follows them on several missions post-canon MWII. Lots of hurt and angst but happy ending.

Lots of oneshots

AO3 Fluffy retirement fics, Trans!Soap beating up bigots, 20+ Kinktober shortfics, MWIII fixit and more...

#call of duty #john soap mactavish #simon ghost riley #ghostsoap #soapghost #ghost x soap #ghoap #ghost mw2 #soap mw2 #call of duty fic #ao3 link #ao3 fanfic #ace combat

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bohemian-nights · 6 months

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I think daemyras' worst headcanon/disillusionment about Daemon is that he loves Rhaenyra's bastards as if they were his own (I get chills when I see them putting Daemon as their big daddy) whilebin the show what is shown he is indifferent to them at the very least and at most he feels irritated that Weak boy #1 wants to boss him around, what makes it worse is that they saw him being an absent father to the twins, but suddenly, he's an excellent stepfather to the bastards just because they are the children of his "soulmate" and he loves everything connected to her 🥴I always had the impression that Daemon wanted a boy so much since he was still married to Laena because he knew that Weak boys were bastards and that that would be enough to take her away of the succession and he needed a male heir to be able to challenge his nephews with the power of House velaryon behind him after all, it is not said that House Velaryon could challenge both the Green and Blacks when did Daemon marry Laena? I'm not saying that he didn't love her and wasn't happy with her, because I believe that he really liked her and her free spirit, but that the marriage did have political reasons behind it and there is nothing wrong with that, by the great council of 101 daemon had a claim too, which was certainly more legitimate than rhaenyra's after she committed high treason

I think their most delusional take is that Missy Anne was his soulmate(we all want our soulmate to abandon us when we've lost our marbles for another woman and chokegate), but that kinda ties into this take.

The fact of the matter is if Daemon really truly viewed those boys as his sons(and if he loved everything about Miss Maegor) this would've never happened:

Imagine getting your a** handed to you as a child(in a 4 on 1 fight) to where you need your younger brother to come save you and yet you still haven't learned how to fight six years later. I almost feel bad for laughing, but this is downright comical🤣

Anyone who thinks the Rogue Prince Daemon freaking Targaryen would let his sons go around not knowing how to at least protect themselves is a moron.

I'm not going to comment on it further cause what more needs to be said🤷🏽‍♀️

Show!Daemon really is a father to no one. Book!Daemon is a little better(hey at least he's not a misogynist towards his daughters), but ultimately he leaves his children to fend for themselves* after falling into a depression cause in order to save Nettles he had to let her go. He's not winning Father of the Year anytime soon.

*If he actually wanted to save them he would’ve gone back to Kings Landing like Missy Anne wanted him to, in order to sort things out and get back-up to help him defeat Aemond/Vhagar. Does he do that? Only in a Dumbnyra fanfic ☕️

Moving on, I do believe Daemon found Laena to be very alluring I think it's pretty obvious he loved her, but yeah their marriage was politically motivated.

He knew what he was doing when he married her(especially given how her parents were butthurt over being snubbed twice over). He probably was very likely to stake his own claim to the throne(although that would've involved usurping Aegon, but I don't think he'd have a problem with that). There's no way Daemon doesn't at least try to ensure his own flesh and blood wears the crown.

This is why Nettles was Daemon’s purest love/relationship. She offered nothing and I do mean absolutely nothing to him, not titles, not blood, not a crown, not armies and yet homeboy was ready to end it all cause of her. He abandoned his queen for her. He was going to give up his life for hers. He might've even lived and crawled back to her(queue Hozier Work Song🎵). That's his soulmate right there🫀

Is it perfect, no. Daemon is a piece of sh*t, he's old as hell and he keeps getting with girls/women half his age. He murdered children. The man straight-up abandoned his family. I mean I love him as much as GRRM does, but he's the worst(well second worst cause of Gollum who should've been thrown in the fire), but he did love Nettles and he saved her(she’s my fave so I won’t hate)☺️

#bnasks #bnask #i love him #he's a mess but I love him #these fans are delusional #this man cared about basically no one #daemon targaryen x nettles #nettles #daemon targaryen #dettles #daemon targaryen x laena velaryon #daela #laena velaryon #miss maegor #anti dumbnyra #anti dumbnyra stans

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shakespearesglitterpen · 4 months

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Much Ado About Nothing Act 5

BENEDICK: A miracle! Here's our own hands against

our hearts. Come, I will have thee, but by this light

I take thee for pity.

BEATRICE: I would not deny you, but by this good day, I

yield upon great persuasion, and partly to save your

life, for I was told you were in a consumption."

Act 5, sc 4, lines 96-101

This is following the final marriage of Hero and Claudio (bleh), where the attention moves to Benedick and Beatrice, who continue to deny their affections for one another. Even after Hero and Claudio present notes that were written by the "merry warriors" professing their love, they say they will accept the other only out of pity or to "save them."

The relationship between Benedick and Beatrice was my favorite part of the play. Their banter was so funny and real, and made their love for each other all the better. It's obvious that they both respect one another and love each other, but they are both too prideful to admit it fully. I just think it's funny that even after everything has been revealed, they are like "Wow I can't believe my hands wrote that I love you when in my heart it's not true. Oh well, guess I have to marry you." They're funny for that, especially when Benedick is like "oh my god, shut up" and kisses her to get her to stop talking. Love-sick little fools, they're so cute. Once again, F- Claudio, and long live the merry warriors.

#much ado about nothing #benedick #beatrice #merry warriors #globe theater

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nordleuchten · 10 months

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La Fayette's Servants - Part 1

I have previously made some posts about servants of the La Fayette family, and I felt like this would be a good time to shine some more light onto these people. I originally intended to cover several of the servants in one post since you typically do not find much about their origin, family and age – but in the case of one gentleman this was very different, and I found documents relating to him in not one but two archives. :-)

Jean-Baptiste Machillot Desplaces

Desplaces, as he was commonly referred to, was one of La Fayette’s valet de chambre. I believe that Desplaces was already “somewhat advanced” in age by the time of the American Revolution. I believe so based on editorial notes in La Fayette’s Memoirs and because by the time La Fayette travelled to America, Desplaces appears to have been in the service of the Marquis’ family for some time. Either that or La Fayette very quickly took a shine to Desplaces. But more about their relationship in a bit.

Desplaces had married a woman by the name of Jeanne Pierrette and together they had at least one son (and I believe that this son was their only child). He was born on March 16, 1772 and baptized Marie Paul Joseph Roch (Yves) Machillot Desplaces. He was born in Paris and the archive there holds his birth certificate. In the document it is also noted that the child’s father worked for the Marquis:

Paris Archives, État civil reconstitué (XVIe-1859), Cote 5Mi1 45, p. 19-20, 08/03/2023.

The young Desplaces himself was married on July 1, 1806 to Marie Françoise Fretin, daughter of Pierre Fretin and Gabrielle Clerc, in Matour in the Department of Saône-Et-Loire. The archives there still have the official documents relating to that wedding:

Archives départmentales de Saône-et-Loire, Matour, Publicatiosn de mariage, 1803-1812, p. 101, 142, 08/03/2023.

You have to look closely, but in the handwritten paragraph at the bottom of the page we see that the couple had a child before they married. Their son Pierre Laurent was born on August 31, 1803.

This second document especially gives us some interesting insights. Although Jean-Baptists’ age is nowhere given, we see that he lived as a “rentier” in 1806 in Paris. A rentier is a person who draws their money from investments, such as insurances, contracts, real estate, stock market, shares in companies, investment funds and much more. A rentier often is, though not necessarily, an elderly person who made these investments with their life savings in order to live comfortable in old age.

We also see that the family still lived in Paris and since the young Desplaces was also born there, it raises the question why the marriage was held at Matour. His wife came from the region around Rhône. Maybe the young Desplaces was drawn to Matour by a great job opportunity or something along this line and took his little family with him. Maybe, and this is pure speculation on my part, his family, although now living in Paris, came originally from Matour. Matour is relatively close to Chavaniac, La Fayette’s ancestral home, and this could have contributed how Desplaces came into La Fayette’s employ in the first place.

What was the relationship between Desplaces and La Fayette? Desplaces, although a servant, was someone La Fayette loved very affectionately. Proof of that is not only his language, but also his timing. On May 17, 1777 La Fayette began writing a long letter, trying to explain to his wife Adrienne his actions and motives and trying to apologize for having abandoned her, their infant daughter and their unborn child. It was the first letter he wrote since leaving France. During this tumults and uncertain time La Fayette did not neglect to think of Desplaces. The letter was written in several sitting over the span of six weeks. In his paragraph from June 7, 1777, he writes:

Also let my old friend Desplaces know that I am in good health.

Idzerda Stanley J. et al., editors, Lafayette in the Age of the American Revolution: Selected Letters and Papers, 1776–1790, Volume 1, December 7, 1776–March 30, 1778, Cornell University Press, 1977, p. 59.

Then, on October 1, 1777, while recovering from his wound after the Battle of Brandywine, he inquired after Desplaces:

Give news of me also to M. Margelay, Abbe Fayon, and Desplaces.

And this relationship was not a one-sided one. On December 18, 1777, La Fayette reported to Henry Laurens that he had received a letter form Desplaces:

I received letters from France but indifferent ones. The last one is from a valet de chambre of mine who speaks much about the good health of my family but nothing about war-however you think that such a man can not be as well acquainted with the projects of the Governement as one of my friends could be. He promises me several letters by the same occasion which I did not receive-perhaps they will come. The letter of that valet de chambre is dated the 7 september.

He also wrote to Adrienne on January 6, 1778:

The other day I received a letter from Desplaces that mentioned an earlier one, but the capriciousness of winds and fleets, not to mention encounters with the English, often disturbs the order of my correspondence. For several days I have been concerned about the Vicomte de Coigny, whom I have heard was getting worse, but that letter from Desplaces, which did not mention him, and which told me that everyone was well, has reassured me. I have also received some others that do not mention his health. When you write to me, dear heart, please send me plenty of news about all the people I love, and even about society.

In these next to letter to his wife Adrienne, La Fayette’s language in particular make it clear how dear Desplaces was to him. On September 12, 1778 he wrote:

Also greet Abbé Fayon, and say something for me to my dear Desplaces.

Idzerda Stanley J. et al., editors, Lafayette in the Age of the American Revolution: Selected Letters and Papers, 1776–1790, Volume 2, April 10, 1778–March 20, 1780, Cornell University Press, 1979, p. 176.

And on October 10, 1780:

Remember me, too, to my good Desplaces.

Idzerda Stanley J. et al., editors, Lafayette in the Age of the American Revolution: Selected Letters and Papers, 1776–1790, Volume 4, April 1, 1781–December 23, 1781, Cornell University Press, 1981, p. 196.

There is one last letter where Desplaces gets mentioned by La Fayette. He wrote on October 10, 1784 during his third stay in America:

As for the minor domestic arrangements, I hope you will have brought my aunt back with you, and you will do well then to get our friend Desplaces established.

Idzerda Stanley J. et al., editors, Lafayette in the Age of the American Revolution: Selected Letters and Papers, 1776–1790, Volume 5, January 4, 1782‑December 29, 1785, Cornell University Press, 1983, p. 262.

I am honestly a bit at a loss where Adrienne should Desplaces help to establish himself – but it is clear that La Fayette took care of the people in his employ – what leads me to the last point I would like to raise. We already had a look at Desplaces status as a rentier in 1806 and we know that he must have had enough money to make the necessary investments. But working for La Fayette generally must have paid off for in 1778 Desplaces was able to lend the sum of 4000 Francs to a Monsieur Le Maire for one month. When Desplaces did not get his money back after the aforementioned month he turned to Benjamin Franklin for help.

Le nommé J.B. Machillot desplaces Valet de Chambre de Mr. le Mquis. de lafayette suplie Son Exelence d’avoir la bonté de le faire payer de la somme de 400 l.t. qu’il a prêté a Mr. le Maire pour un mois seulement, le tems que Son Exelence devoit lui faire rembourcer les avances qu’il avoit fait pour Elle. Sans le connoître que pour l’avoir vû chez Mdme. La Mquise. de lafayette, J’y ai été de bonne foie en lui accordant la demande qu’il me fit, aprésent je ne peu le ravoir sans le Scour [secours] de Son Exelence. Mdme. La Mquise. de la fayette m’a chargée de vous faire ses complimens. J’ai l’honneur d’être avec un très profond respect Son Exelence Votre très humble et trés obeissant Serviteur

Machillot displaces

“To Benjamin Franklin from Jean-Baptiste Machillot Desplaces, 26 September 1778,” Founders Online, National Archives, [Original source: The Papers of Benjamin Franklin, vol. 27, July 1 through October 31, 1778, ed. Claude A. Lopez. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1988, pp. 465–466.] (08/04/2023)

And even if the loan was intended as a short term one and Desplaces definitely wanted the money back, it is nevertheless quite telling that Desplaces was in a position to lend Le Maire such a large sum.

I have no information about Desplaces life during and shortly after the French Revolution or how he reacted to La Fayette’s flight and imprisonment, but the families servants in general and as a whole proofed to be very loyal and Adrienne tried her utmost to do right by them, even as her own family was struggling. And if Desplaces felt for La Fayette like the Marquis evidently felt for Desplaces, he must have been touched by the families hardships.

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allyleetheo · 2 months

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Here is a list of Manwha's recommendations. They are sorted into genres, and do not contain any BL/GL, I have a separate list for BL/GL manwha's.

I have not read any of these yet. (I'll be giving them ratings as I read them.)

Compiled by Lis (Blob / s.class.villainess on Tiktok)

You can search https://tinyurl.com/mwreclist for their complete list and ratings.

Note: This list is mostly not up to date with the episode counts, so most of the titles might have more chapters than listed.

🪻total amount of titles: 439

Key:

🔁 - Complete works

ACTION

Medical Return (100 chapters)

Mercenary Enrollment (76 chapters)

ACTION / FANTASY

A Gate Opened on my First Day as a Politician (24 chapters)

Arcane Sniper (73 chapter of ons)

Crimson Karma (118 chapters)🔁

Damn Reincarnation (29 chapters)

Doctor's Rebirth (82 chapters)

Eleceed (210 chapters)

Ending Maker (31 chapters)

Estio (33 chapters)

F-class Destiny Hunter (59 chapters)

Heavenly Demon Instructor (42 chapters)

Heavenly Sword’s Grand Saga (28 chapters)

Hoarding in Hell (39 chapters)

I Stole The First Ranker’s Soul (41 chapters)

Kill the Hero (103 chapters)

Legendary Youngest Son of the Marquis House (43 chapters)

Leveling With The Gods (60 chapters)

Maxed Out Leveling (21 chapters)

Murim Login (52 chapters)

My Daughter is the Final Boss (83 chapters)

Nano Machine (101 chapters)

Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint (171 chapters)

Overbearing Tyrant (33 chapters)

Player Who Can't Level Up (95 chapters)

Ranker's Return (remake) (56 chapters)

Reaper of the Drifting Moon (25 chapters)

Reincarnation of the Suicidal Battle God (44 chapters)

Return of the 8th class Magician (29 chapters)

Return of the Mount Hua Sect (72 chapters)

Return Of The Shattered Constellation (42 chapters)

Second Life Ranker (116 chapters)

Seoul Station's Necromancer (41 chapters)

Solo Leveling (179 chapters)🔁

Solo Max-Level Newbie (42 chapters)

SSS-Class Gacha Hunter (45 chapters

SSS-Class Revival Hunter (94 chapters)

Standard of Reincarnation (22 chapters)

Star-Fostered Swordmaster (32 chapters)

Talent-Swallowing Magician (30 chapters)

The Advanced Player of The Tutorial Tower (107 chapters)

The Daughter of The Elemental King (105 chapters)

The Frozen Player Returns (50 chapters)

The Great Mage Returns After 4000 Years (119 chapters)

The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live a Normal Life (35 chapters)

The Hero Returns (38 chapters)

The Martial God who Regressed Back to Level 2 (50 chapters)

The Newbie is Too Strong (31 chapters)

The Novel's Extra (28 chapters)

The Returner's Magic Should Be Special (192 chapters)

The Return of The Disaster-Class Hero (48 chapters)

The S-classes That I Raised (105 chapters)

The Scholar’s Reincarnation (140 chapters)

The World After the Fall (12 chapters)

Tomb Raider King (308 chapters)

Trapped in a Webnovel as a Good for Nothing (140 chapters)

Trash of the Count's Family (85 chapters)

Tyrant of the Tower Defence Game (82 chapters)

Villain to Kill (61 chapters)

Worthless Regression (25 chapters)

FANTASY / ROMANCE

A Capable Maid (59 chapters)

A Good Day To Be A Dog (93 chapters)🔁

A Happy Ending for the Villains (16 chapters)

A Marriage Alliance for Revenge (43 chapters)

A Most Virtuous Villain (83 chapters)🔁

A Princess's Guide to Saving Dragons (18 chapters)

A Red Knight Does Not Blindly Follow Money (66 chapters)

A Single Round at Romance is Enough! (48 chapters)

A Stepmother’s Märchen (83 chapters)

A Symbiotic Relationship Between A Rabbit And A Black Panther (68 chapters)

A Tender Heart: The Story of How I Became a Duke’s Maid (110 chapters)🔁

A Transmigrator's Privilege (65 chapters)🔁

A Villain Demands to Be Loved (70 chapters)🔁

A Villainess Is a Good Match for a Tyrant (104 chapters)🔁

A Wicked Tale of Cinderella's Stepmom (109 chapters)

Abandoned Wife Has a New Husband (44 chapters)

Adelaide (85 chapters)🔁

Aileen's on Fire! (20 chapters)

An Unseemly Lady (35 chapters)

Aria of the Withered Branch (87 chapters)

Ashtarte (80 chapters)

As You Wish, Prince! (93 chapters)🔁

Baby Squirrel Is Good At Everything (21 chapters)

Becoming The Villain’s Family (43 chapters)

Becoming You (124 chapters)🔁

Beloved by the Male Lead's Nephew (32 chapters)

Beware of The Villainess! (93 chapters)🔁

Birth of a Goddess (199 chapters)

Bloody Sweet (86 chapters)🔁

Carefully Choosing a Husband (31 chapters)

Carrier Falcon Princess (79 chapters)

Cat in the Chrysalis (42 chapters)

Catherine's Key to a Happy Life (25 chapters)

Caught by the Villain (The Villain Discovered my Identity) (110 chapters)

Charlotte Has Five Disciples (124 chapters)

Cheerful Countess Sisters (68 chapters)

Chitra (141 chapters)

Cierra (23 chapters)

Cinderella Disappeared (20 chapters)

Cradle of Heaven (18 chapters)

Crows Like Shiny Things (49 chapters)

Daisy: How to Become the Duke’s Fiancée (98 chapters)

Dear Nemesis (65 chapters)

Death Is The Only Ending For The Villainess (91 chapters)

Disobey the Duke if You Dare (26 chapters)

Divorce me, Husband! (39 chapters)

Doctor Elise: The Royal Lady with the Lamp (143 chapters)🔁

Don't Hire My Brother Your Highness! (35 chapters)

Dream Lover Strategy Guide (57 chapters)🔁

Empress? Empress! (130 chapters)🔁

Evangeline's Sword (23 chapters)

Everything's Coming Up Roses (23 chapters)

Extras Don’t Want to be Overly Obsessed (56 chapters)

Falling For The Enemy (49 chapters)🔁

Falling into the Deep End (34 chapters)

Father, I Don’t Want This Marriage! (123 chapters)🔁

Flirting with The Villain's Dad (94 chapters)

Follow The Bread Crumbs (70 chapters)🔁

Forget My Husband, I'll Go Make Money (24 chapters)

For My Derelict Beloved (54 chapters)

For Stella (32 chapters)

Fortune-telling Lady (27 chapters)

From a Knight to a Lady (92 chapters)

Go Away Romeo (36 chapters)

Golden Time (47 chapters)

Happily Ever Afterwards (61 chapters)

Heroine's Shares for Sale (39 chapters)

How Did I Become the Princess? (44 chapters)

Honey, I’m Going On a Strike (54 chapters)

How to Be a Dark Hero’s Daughter (40 chapters)

How to Get My Husband on My Side (57 chapters)

How to Hide the Emperor's Child (78 chapters)

How to Prey on Your Master (72 chapters)

I Abdicate My Title of Empress (23 chapters)

I Adopted the Male Lead (90 chapters)🔁

I am the Precious Daughter of the Greatest Villain in the Fantasy World (45 chapters)

I Became the Tyrant’s Secretary (54 chapters)

I Became the Villainess in a Disastrous Novel (44 chapters)

I Became the Villain’s Mother (63 chapters)

I Became the Wife of the Male Lead (47 chapters)

I Bid You Adieu (101 chapters)

I Can't Keep Up With My Stallion Duke (38 chapters)

I Choose the Emperor Ending (115 chapters)🔁

I Didn’t Mean to Seduce the Male Lead (40 chapters)

I Don’t Love You Anymore (58 chapters)

I Don't Want to Play the Matchmaker! (37 chapters)

I Dream of Health, Wealth and a Long Life (84 chapters)

I Failed to Abandon the Villain (44 chapters)

I Found a Husband When I Picked Up the Male Lead (50 chapters)

I Have No Health (51 chapters)

I Listened to my Husband and Brought in a Lover (21 chapters)

I Raised a Black Dragon (74 chapters)

I Raised My Childhood Friend as a Tyrant (57 chapters)

I Shall Kill that Sweet Devil (79 chapters)

Isnelda (26 chapters)

I Stan The Prince (66 chapters)

I Tamed My Ex-husband's Mad Dog (37 chapters)

I Thought My Time Was Up! (30 chapters)

I Tried To Be Her Loyal Sword (34 chapters)

I Was Seduced by the Sick Male Lead (26 chapters)

I Was Tricked Into This Fake Marriage! (107 chapters)🔁

I Will Take Responsibility for the Welfare of the Male Lead (35 chapters)

I'm Not The Final Boss' Lover! (36 chapters)

I'm the One Who Died, but the Hero Went Crazy (32 chapters)

I've Been Proposed to by a Villain (62 chapters)

If You Touch My Little Brother, You’re All Dead (46 chapters)

Inso's Law (147 chapters)

Into the Light Once Again (48 chapters)

Is It a Fortune or Is It a Woe? (83 chapters)

It Looks Like I’ve Fallen into the World of a Reverse Harem Game (74 chapters)

It Seems I've Transmigrated Somewhere (29 chapters)

It Was All A Mistake (61 chapters)

It’s My Destiny To Be The Hero’s Saviour (33 chapters)

I’ll Be The Matriarch In This Life (64 chapters)

I’ll Just Live on as a Villainess (73 chapters)

I'll save this Damned Family! (110 chapters)

I’m a Martial Art Villainess but I’m the Strongest! (72 chapters)

I'm a Villainess, Can I Die? (28 chapters)

I'm Engaged to an Obsessive Male Lead (81 chapters)

I’m Only a Stepmother, But My Daughter is Just So Cute! (65 chapters)

I’m the Male Lead’s Girl Friend (63 chapters)🔁

I'm the One Who Died, but the Hero Went Crazy (23 chapters)

I'm the Queen in This Life (50 chapters)

Justice for the Villainess (43 chapters)

Just Leave Me Be (80 chapters)

Kill the Villainess (100 chapters)

Lady Beast (113 chapters)

Lady Crystal is a Man (30 chapters)

Let Me Die in Peace! (32 chapters)

Let’s Hide My Younger Brother First (40 chapters)

Leveling Up My Husband to the Max (97 chapters)

Lies Become You (18 chapters)

Like Wind on a Dry Branch (85 chapters)

Lillien of Turin (33 chapters)

Long After The Ending (60 chapters)🔁

Lydia's Great Escape (57 chapters)

Marriage and Sword (39 chapters)

May I kill You, Your Highness? (30 chapters)

Miss Not-So Sidekick (177 chapters)🔁

Miss Time (60 chapters)🔁

More Than You Know (28 chapters)

My Dear Aster (45 chapters)

My Farm by the Palace (65 chapters)

My Husband Hides His Beauty (80 chapters)

My Husband, My Sister, and I (26 chapters)

My Mysterious Nighttime Visitor (10 chapters)

My Red String of Fate (90 chapters)🔁

My Sister Picked Up the Male Lead (59 chapters)

My Warmonger Husband (46 chapters)

Necrobride (37 chapters)

No More Nice Sis (64 chapters)

No Outtakes (38 chapters)

Not Just Anyone Can Become a Villainess (68 chapters)

Nullitas: The Counterfeit Bride (55 chapters)

One Pair Lady (40 chapters)

Only Realised After Losing You (26 chapters)

Ophelia the Oracle Queen (12 chapters)

Please Don't Come To The Villainess’ Stationery Store! (36 chapters)

Please Give Me The Pacifier (41 chapters)

Please Marry Me Again, Husband! (36 chapters)

Preventing the Making of a Tyrant (46 chapters)

Princess of the Animals (16 chapters)

Protecting the Witch's Son (38 chapters)

Protect the Knight (53 chapters)

Queen Cecia’s Shorts (80 chapters)

Regina Rena: To the Unforgiven (24 chapters)

Reporting for Duty, Duchess! (48 chapters)

Revenge Wedding (84 chapters)🔁

Rewriting My Tragic Ending (34 chapters)

Rewriting the Villainess (62 chapters)🔁

Roxana (39 chapters)

Royal Marriage (49 chapters)

Run, Meil (50 chapters)🔁

Sacrificed (52 chapters)

Say Ah, the Golden Spoon Is Entering (40 chapters)

Saving My Sweetheart (A Way to Protect the Lovable You) (89 chapters)

Second Life of a Trash Princess (23 chapters)

Secret Lady (43 chapters)

Seven Years Later (36 chapters)

Savor the Taste (59 chapters)🔁

Side Characters Deserve Love too (127 chapters)

So I Married the Abandoned Prince (29 chapters)

Straight to the Red Carpet (40 chapters)

Swimming Lessons for a Mermaid (101 chapters)🔁

Taming the Emperor's Hound (31 chapters)

Taming the Corrupted (45 chapters)

Terrarium Adventure (19 chapters)

The 101st Heroine (71 chapters)🔁

The Accidental Heiress (45 chapters)

The Baby Isn't Yours (29 chapters)

The Beast Emperor and I (26 chapters)

The Beloved Little Princess (96 chapters)

The Black Haired Princess (107 chapters)🔁

The Boutique at 97th Sheldon Street (26 chapters)

The Crown Princess Audition (80 chapters)

The Demonic Contract (64 chapters)

The Destroyer Fell in Love With Me (71 chapters)

The Duchess with an Empty Soul (100 chapters)

The Duchess's 50 Tea Recipes (143 chapters)🔁

The Duke's 99th Bride (24 chapters)

The Duke's Bored Daughter is My Master (57 chapters)

The Duke's Teddy Bear (54 chapters)

The Dungeon’s Dying S-class Lady (24 chapters)

The Empire's Hidden Hope (21 chapters)

The First Night With the Duke (102 chapters)🔁

The Goddess of Healing (159 chapters)🔁

The Golden Forest (55 chapters)

The Golden-Haired Summoner (100 chapters)

The Grand Duchess of the North Was Secretly a Villainess (21 chapters)

The Handsome Male Lead Won't Let Me Log Out! (35 chapters)

The Heroine Is a Man (36 chapters)

The Lady and the Beast (72 chapters)

The Lady I Served Became a Master (79 chapters)

The Lady Tames the Swordmaster (70 chapters)

The Lady Wants to Rest (43 chapters)

The Lady’s Butler (90 chapters)

The Lady’s Law of Survival (61 chapters)

The Little Lady Tames the Leads (22 chapters)

The Little Landlady (22 chapters)

The Maid and the Vampire (76 chapters)🔁

The Matchmaking Baby Princess (51 chapters)

The Millionaire Divorcee (21 chapters)

The Night Without Shadows (60 chapters)

The Noble Pirate (22 chapters)

The Perks of Being a Villainess (45 chapters)

The Precious Sister of The Villainous Grand Duke (69 chapters)

The Princess is Evil (34 chapters)

The Princess's Doll Shop (33 chapters)

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#manwha #webcomic #webtoon

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yolatirra · 1 year

Text

Ted’s Save the Cat Character Arc

Introduction

The Save the Cat plot structure originally intended for screenplays and described by Blake Snyder (to learn more, look up his book and the novel-focused version by Jessica Brody). While I can’t be sure the Ted Lasso writers are intentionally using it, the beats do map onto the show very well, and since we know the show was originally planned as three seasons, we can assume everything up to the end of season 3 is one complete arc. Thus, there’s a lot to be learned by using this plot structure to analyze the show.

Save the Cat can be applied to a story’s overall plot, but in a character-focused show like Ted Lasso it often makes more sense to apply it to each character’s arc individually. So in this analysis I’ll mostly be focusing on Ted.

I know this structure pretty well, as I’ve used it for my own writing and to analyze several other stories from various kinds of media. That said I’m not an expert, so if you also are familiar with it and have differing ideas, I’m very interested in your perspectives on the show.

But first, a disclaimer. I ship Ted/Trent and while I originally set about writing this analysis as neutrally as possible, that kind of went out the window when I realized how much the plot is pointing to their relationship being deeply important for Ted, whether it’s romantic or not. So while I’m not assuming their relationship is romantic in this analysis, I definitely talk about how important they are to each other and how intertwined their stories are.

Also, I didn’t spend a ton of time on this, so I apologize if it’s not entirely coherent or I’ve missed or misremembered things.

So, what is Ted’s plot arc? In one sentence, it’s this: Ted struggles to heal from his past while searching for a new sense of belonging in the aftermath of his marriage.

ACT 1

Act 1 Summary: Ted’s starting point and important relationships are established. He adapts to life as the manager of AFC Richmond and accepts divorce.

Opening Image

The first actual scene we get of Ted (not including the news report of him dancing with his American football team) is of him on the airplane to England. Initially he’s alone, and then he’s with Beard except the two are not seated together, so even though Beard is with him he’s still kind of alone. And then the lights go out and everyone tries to sleep, but Ted sits awake looking at Michelle and Henry on his phone, the light from the screen illuminating his face and setting him apart from everyone else. He is alone in a crowd.

Also, no one believes in him. He asks Beard if what they're doing is crazy. Beard says it is, and so does the “ussie” guy.

From this we can take away that Ted is isolated from family and friends. He doesn’t fit in, he is apart from others. Beard is with him, but that isn’t enough. No one believes in him in the way he wants or needs.

Set-Up

This beat is usually the first 20-25% of the story. Episodes 101-104 and the first half or so of 105 set up the world and the main characters. We learn about Richmond (the town) and AFC Richmond (the team). We learn who most of the main players in the plot will be and most of their initial relationships with Ted are established.

Theme Stated

So this is a really interesting beat in this show. Normally the theme in this beat is a lesson the protagonist needs to learn, and it’s usually said to them by a secondary character. But in episode 103, we get this line, said by Ted to Trent:

“For me success isn’t about the wins and losses. It’s about helping these young fellas to be the best versions of themselves on and off the field. And that ain’t always easy Trent, but neither is growing up without someone believing in you.”

Ted says this about the people on the team and it does summarize many of their character arcs, but it also describes Ted’s character arc. He has to heal from his father’s suicide (growing up without someone believing in him) and his upcoming divorce, before finding his new place in the world (be the best version of himself). He also needs someone to believe in him. But at this point, he doesn’t realize this is a journey he needs to go on. That’s the lesson he needs to learn. That he also needs to heal and find people who believe in him in order to be the best version of himself.

Interestingly, this is opposite but complementary to Trent’s arc. Trent has people who believe in him (he’s a well known and respected journalist), but he doesn’t have something (or someone) to believe in. He comes to believe in Ted and The Lasso Way, and over time that belief inspires him to change his life and be more freely himself.

Catalyst

Michelle and Henry come to visit, and at first it seems to be going well. Then Ted catches Michelle crying, and she says she’s trying to love him again. This is the moment that leads to Ted realizing he has to let Michelle go, which sets him on his path of healing and self discovery.

Debate

Ted spends the second half of episode 105 thinking about what Michelle said and debating with himself (and the soon-to-be Diamond Dogs) about what to do. This is pretty short for a debate beat, but Ted has done a lot of thinking about this relationship before Michelle showed up in England, and the showrunners likely didn’t want to or couldn’t have Michelle be a significant character for two episodes, so it makes sense that everything from the Catalyst to the Break Into Two beat is squeezed into one episode.

Break Into Two

Ted tells Michelle she doesn’t have to keep trying to love him, choosing to let her go and accept divorce. From this point on, Ted has begun his journey, and we have entered Act 2.

It’s interesting to note that most other characters got their Catalyst, Debate, and Break Into Two beats in 104, but Ted gets an episode all to himself. The show itself can’t move into Act 2 until Ted does, so he’s the last, and he’s the title character, so he gets the most focus.

ACT 2

Act 2 Summary: Ted builds his new relationships and accepts his struggles with mental health, taking steps toward managing it and healing from past traumas. He struggles with feeling torn between his new life in England and his son back in the US, as well as a shaken belief in the Lasso Way, leading to depression and apathy toward his job.

Fun and Games

This beat encompasses everything up until the midpoint of the story, so episodes 106 to 206. The world and the characters and Ted’s relationships with them are further developed, setting up the second half of the story.

B-Plot

The start of the b-plot is usually a character being introduced or re-introduced soon after the start of Act 2. This character is normally someone who will help the protagonist learn something, either through words or actions, intentionally or not. This is often a romantic interest, but it certainly doesn’t have to be.

Ted gets a new b-plot each season, (as do the other major characters), but Ted’s show-long b-plot character is Sassy.

Sassy is introduced two episodes after Ted agrees to divorce Michelle. The only other character introduced in this time is Dani Rojas, but he’s the b-plot character for Jamie, not Ted.

So what does Sassy teach Ted? Honestly I’m not sure yet, and that makes me think there’s still at least one significant scene between Ted and Sassy we haven’t seen yet. We could say that she teaches him that casual sex is okay. This wasn’t established by the theme as something Ted needed to learn but we can argue it’s part of finding his new place in the world. We can also argue that she helped him realize he’s a “work in progmess,” which would be part of healing from his past. But neither of these things feel significant enough. I think overall her role is to help Ted move on from his divorce, and it’s possible that’s all she needs to do and has already done it, but I just feel like something is missing with her still.

Ted’s season 2 b-plot character is Dr. Sharon. She’s introduced in episode 1, but doesn’t interact with Ted very much until Ted starts trying to be friendly with her. She of course teaches him that he has trauma from his father’s suicide and that he needs to acknowledge that in order to heal from it.

And Ted’s season 3 b-plot character is Trent, who joins AFC Richmond to write a book about Ted the team. Unlike Rebecca, Trent doesn’t want anything from Ted except to understand him. He is fascinated by Ted and wants to see where his story goes.

I’m pretty sure that between these three characters, Ted learns and gains everything he needs to in order to complete his arc.

Sassy helps Ted heal from his failed marriage.

Dr. Sharon helps Ted heal from his past.

And Trent selflessly believes in Ted. He just “can’t help but root for him.”

First Pinch Point

Technically this isn’t part of the Save the Cat structure. I’m pulling the idea of pinch points from Dan Well’s 7-point structure. But I often find that pinch points fit well into Save the Cat, and since this is a long story told over three seasons, they help provide some additional context for the story’s structure.

A pinch point is a moment in the story that redirects the protagonist and the audience toward the main plot. It usually involves an increase in stakes. The first pinch point is Ted’s final scene of season 1, where he tries to preemptively quit and Rebecca refuses to let him go. Ted hasn’t done what he needs to do yet. He can’t leave. Also, while Rebecca does believe in Ted and has genuinely become friends with him by this point, her belief in him comes from a selfish place. She wants to believe that Ted can win because she wants Rupert to lose. It isn’t really The Lasso Way that she believes in, at least not for its own sake. She wants something from Ted. Still, while this isn’t the belief that Ted ultimately needs, it is a step in the right direction. However, now he has the promise of winning the premier league on his shoulders, and that is certainly a heightening of stakes.

Midpoint

The midpoint is Ted’s first major panic attack during the quarterfinal game in 206. This is the point where Ted can’t ignore his own issues anymore, which means he starts to heal.

Bad Guys Close In

“Bad Guys” represents the rising stakes of the plot. For Ted, this means everything that happens with Nate, Trent’s article about his panic attacks, and his distance from Henry and lingering feelings for Michelle.

Second Pinch Point

This is Trent’s article about Ted. The article is essentially a test of how far Ted has come this season. While the article is not an easy thing to deal with, Ted actually manages the aftermath quite well. He has come to terms with his mental health enough to talk about it not only to his friends but also to the press. It also reminds the audience that Trent exists, foreshadowing his importance in season 3, and makes sure we know that he and Ted have enough respect for each other that even a seeming betrayal like Trent’s article won’t hurt their relationship. They haven’t spent a lot of time together on screen yet, but their relationship is very important.

All is Lost

This is Nate’s outburst at Ted in episode 212. Ted fails to see that something is going wrong with Nate for the whole of season 2 (or at least fails to realize the depth of it), and eventually it blows up in his face.

Even though it is never outright started, I think much of Ted’s depression and apathy in the first half of season 3 comes from his loss of confidence in The Lasso Way, and especially because much of what Nate said to Ted echoed things that Ted feels toward his father. For the first time Ted starts to question his whole philosophy. The man telling everyone to believe has stopped believing. I think as season 3 continues we’ll see that the Lasso Way didn’t actually fail for Nate, but Nate needed some time apart from Ted to learn and grow on his own.

Dark Night of the Soul

I think a lot of peoples’ criticism of the pacing of season 3 is coming from how long this beat is for Ted. And it is very long. Ted starts the season depressed, and continues to be depressed until he starts climbing out of it at the end of episode 305. Depressed characters can be frustrating to follow, because they don’t feel like they’re doing very much. And while I do think they might have dragged it out a little long, or made Ted a little too passive or apathetic without giving more explanation for why he’s behaving that way, I also think that’s kind of the point. He’s depressed, and it’s uncomfortable and frustrating and we the audience are feeling what he’s feeling.

ACT 3?

At this point I’m not sure if his Break into Three moment happened in episode 306. If so it would be the whole barbeque sauce-induced hallucination about triangles leading to him choosing to use Total Football. I can’t say for sure until I’ve seen the rest of the season. But if that wasn’t it, I definitely think we’ll see it by the end of episode 308. The fifth episode from the beginning had his Break into Two moment, so it would make sense that the fifth episode from the end would have his Break into Three moment, especially since both episodes involve Michelle and/or Henry visiting him in England. There’s parallels happening!

Conclusion (For Now)

We’ve either just entered Act 3 or are about to enter it, which means shit is gonna start happening. All we have left is the Finale and the Final Image. The finale can be broken down into five separate beats, but not all finales use those beats, so I’ll wait to get into those until I know more. For now, uh, I hope someone found this interesting and I’ll try to add onto this post either with edits or reblogs once I’ve seen more episodes and have more to say.

#ted lasso #trent crimm #ted lasso season 3 #plot analysis #save the cat #plot structure #ted lasso meta #ted lasso analysis

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